Imagining fatherhood: Young Australian men’s perspectives on fathering

Thompson R, Lee C, Adams, J

August 2014

International Journal of Men’s Health 2013; 12(2): 150-165

Most men first spoke of their career intentions when asked about how they imagined their life at 40. While some described work as a source of personal fulfilment others spoke of it as a means to financially provide for other goals such as having a family.

Many men appeared to regard having a family as a fundamental source of happiness. Some men’s comments suggested that they had never considered not having children, and some constructed childlessness as abnormal and unfulfilling.

Almost all the men expressed the view that fathers should be the main financial providers and that a “good” father is involved in the lives of his children.

Many comments indicated awareness of structural barriers that may make it difficult to be both the main financial provider (traditional role) and an involved father (modern role).

While most appeared hesitant to voice an expectation that their partner would stay home to look after the children, none stated that they would take responsibility for this.

Most men exhibited the belief that their twenties was a time of preparation for successful adulthood.

Almost all of the men believed that to have children their career must first be established, they should have financial security, and a high level of personal maturity; only some realised such circumstances may not be possible to achieve by their ‘right’ age to have children.

These men wanted to ‘set themselves up’ in their twenties not only to be the main financial provider but also to have more flexibility in their work to provide more time for involvement in their children’s lives.

This flexibility appeared to be something the men thought they needed to earn rather than have a right to as fathers. Many of the men assumed they would be married to their partner prior to having children.

The models of family and fatherhood the men were exposed to influenced their own plans for fatherhood.

The men who noted exposure to a negative model focused on their father’s overemphasis on the breadwinner role and their lack of involvement with the family.

There is very little research on men’s perceptions and intentions for fatherhood, and an overemphasis on women’s roles in childrearing and demographic change.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young university men about their perceptions of, and attitudes towards, having children and being a parent.

Participants were mostly white young (presumably heterosexual) men that attended a prestigious university. Future research should explore the views of men from a wider range of backgrounds in terms of socioeconomic status, cultural and ethnic background, and sexuality.

The interviews were conducted by a young female postgraduate student attending the same university. Participants may have adapted their responses to what they perceived to be socially acceptable to a young woman.

Government policy and organisational practice needs to recognise men’s role in the family, and the issues they face in being both a financial provider and involved father.